Alagasco's Bright Lights In The Skyline (Birmingham, Jackson: real estate, 2013, floors)

[mcalumni01]

Alagasco name to join Birmingham skyline | al.com

the trends continues....more and more companies lights going up in downtown.....who's next

[Tourian]

Thats a good morale and an economy boost. Get every existing tower full, get the core vibrant and bustling again and the next company in will want to build a new tower.

im guessing the best view will be from RME

[mcalumni01]

Originally Posted by Tourian

Thats a good morale and an economy boost. Get every existing tower full, get the core vibrant and bustling again and the next company in will want to build a new tower.

im guessing the best view will be from RME

that's what I've been saying all along, but most people don't think it will ever happen. companies need more space and even though these mid-high rises are good, the better the u.s. economy gets the more people that are going to get hired and added to companies so what better space than to go upward with many floors

[raj kapoor]

This is hopefully good. I use to be a proponent of lighting the buildings downtown. We have been the darkest city I have ever driven through.
After the horrible sign was erected on the BBVA COMPASS building I have some doubts. It looks like a temporary banner in the daytime. For a building with clean, if unimaginative architecture , they sure have made it look pathetic in the daytime. It really looks temporary which I suspect it is. Compass' every corporate move points to leaving Birmingham sooner than later.

And speaking of lights, why is MISS ELECTRA in the dark these days. The top of the old power building is lighted but not the statue.

Does anyone remember when the original AMSOUTH building had the bar lights on every floor. Now only at Christmas. We have a lot to do just to catch up with where we already were.
Does anyone remember that the whole top of what is the WELLS FARGO was once lighted as well as the COMPASS with floods from the ground up.

Not to sound so down, but I do get tired of being cajoled into thinking we are making progress when all we are doing is catching up. We are chasing our tail at this point.

raj (don't try to fool me)

[Tourian]

Yeah my source says the same thing. It may take a while but Compass will eventually move all its operations to Houston. Them dropping the bowl sponsorship and that half ass banner that's been up for the longest are easy clues. It will be a big blow when it happens. Hopefully they will leave some regional control office behind but it will still give the haters an large amount of fuel. By then im sure there will be enough positive goings on to outweigh it.

[cpg35223]

Originally Posted by Tourian

Yeah my source says the same thing. It may take a while but Compass will eventually move all its operations to Houston. Them dropping the bowl sponsorship and that half ass banner that's been up for the longest are easy clues. It will be a big blow when it happens. Hopefully they will leave some regional control office behind but it will still give the haters an large amount of fuel. By then im sure there will be enough positive goings on to outweigh it.

True. But I know of a $10 billion bank that is taking a long hard look at relocating here because of all the talent on the ground.

[Tourian]

Originally Posted by cpg35223

True. But I know of a $10 billion bank that is taking a long hard look at relocating here because of all the talent on the ground.

Now we're talkin'!

[raj kapoor]

Honestly, ten billion is a blip in the banking industry. It may be regional, but won't get you on any national list. We use to be number five in the nation.

It's hard to keep taking these punches when all we are getting is new brew pubs. (maybe a fifty floor tower with a revolving 'stein' on top)

The talent I knew on the ground started new small banks all over the place and the others followed the moving vans as they drove out of state. (read: SOUTHTRUST)
Industry news tells us the small banks will evaporate.

raj

[cpg35223]

Originally Posted by raj kapoor

Honestly, ten billion is a blip in the banking industry. It may be regional, but won't get you on any national list. We use to be number five in the nation.

It's hard to keep taking these punches when all we are getting is new brew pubs. (maybe a fifty floor tower with a revolving 'stein' on top)

The talent I knew on the ground started new small banks all over the place and the others followed the moving vans as they drove out of state. (read: SOUTHTRUST)
Industry news tells us the small banks will evaporate.

raj

Not evaporate. Be absorbed. A new $10 Billion bank in the market with the intent of acquiring community banks is poised for growth. And the talent I know is still on the ground here.

[raj kapoor]

Originally Posted by cpg35223

Not evaporate. Be absorbed. A new $10 Billion bank in the market with the intent of acquiring community banks is poised for growth. And the talent I know is still on the ground here.

I did not intend to imply the talent is gone. I just meant to inform that a lot of talent is gone. Absorption usually leads to needing less real estate, so that I am not convinced that such an event is going to make much of a ripple here beyond the people working in the bank. I know that the talent I was privy to did cause a ripple when they left.

I will take anything we get but we are so needy. Even if we are comfortable and love our city we have to be concerned about its lack of progress so as not to awake one day and find that we are now Jackson or some other place that is never given a thought. Even the Villages go down hill when that happens. Go visit Grosse Point to know.

raj